


Rules of Dating

by xsimkat



Series: Avenging Love Series [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cotton Candy Fluff, F/M, Humor, Light Angst, POV Steve Rogers, Post-Avengers (2012), Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Iron Man 3, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Steve Rogers Flirts, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Tony Stark and Phoebe Reynolds Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-19 12:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14873624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsimkat/pseuds/xsimkat
Summary: Told from Steve's POV.Two weeks after the events of the Battle of New York, Phoebe is released from the hospital only to find her apartment was destroyed in battle along with Steve's. Temporarily living in the Avengers Tower, Steve gets help from his fellow Avengers on this century’s dating tips now that Phoebe and Steve are a couple.





	1. Lucky

***

Moving to Stark Tower was definitely not my idea.

We stopped Loki and the Chitauri, but it wasn’t without incident. The body count was in the 100s. Lives lost because one man – one God – thought he was _the_ God. The thought still makes me sick. There was also the cost of repairs to the city, which seemed to triple by the week according to the news. I have no idea how the city is going to come up with 100 million dollars, but if it was anything like World War II, America would find a way. She was the creative type.

After the group saw Thor and Loki off in Central Park, we went out separate ways. SHIELD gave me a nice 1940s-style motorcycle. Now that the team could have a breather, I decided to go home so I could plan out my next move, whatever that may be.

My apartment was destroyed. Completely, utterly destroyed.

Across the hall, my sweet Latina neighbor opened her door. For a moment, I smiled. I was glad that her apartment seemed relatively intact, with only minor scratches on her door. I guess my apartment took the brunt of the damage.

 “Oh, there you are!” My neighbor, whose name was Sherly, greeted me. “I always knew there was something special about you.”

“Ma’am?” I asked, confused by her statement.

Sherly opened her door and pointed to her television. There was footage of me in my Captain America gear battling several Chitauri at once, my hood gone. “You’re Captain America!”

I was at a standstill as to how to respond. It wasn’t my first rodeo. I spent many hours signing autographs, posing for photographs, and greeting countless fans in front of human-size posters of myself. I was playing a role. The role of the hero of America. Then that role turned into reality, and well… let’s just say my popularity grew at an alarming rate. But I wasn’t sure what to say to my sweet neighbor who borrowed my sugar and let me read her newspaper on Sunday’s. I felt the flush on my cheeks intensify as her eye lit up with excitement.

“My husband was in the 107th,” Sherly said, her voice changing to a quiet lull. My heart pounded against my chest as I remembered the men of the 107th very well. “You rescued him from Schmidt’s prison along with those other men.” Before I could even begin to speak, Sherly walked into her kitchen and comes back with a letter. She placed it in my hands. It was stained with age, gritty at the touch. Dated November 11, 1943, nine days after I liberated the Allied men. “I thought I was dreaming when I got that in the mail. I prayed every night that Captain America would watch over my Johnny. But he never made it home.”

I skimmed through the letter, finding it harder to read the cursive due to smudging, coffee stains, and its age. But what I did read was very flattering. Johnny raved about Captain America. Johnny raved about _me_. I couldn’t help but smile as Johnny retold the Howling Commandos very first retaliation of Schimdt’s base camp. The other soldiers in our camp weren’t briefed on the HC’s operations for several reasons, but sometimes word slipped through the grapevine. I glanced at the bottom.

 _Always, Junior_.

Junior Juniper’s wife was my neighbor.

This was unbelievable. When I woke up, I thought I had lost everything. I looked at Sheryl in a new light, as if I was looking at her for the very first time. I handed the letter back to her without breaking eye contact. “Your husband was a wonderful man, Sherly. He was a brave soldier, and I’m sure he didn’t go without a fight.”

Sherly nodded, eyes falling to the letter in her hands. I watched as a tear fell down her cheek. My heart breaks for her. “He died in 1946 helping the Commandos and Ms. Carter with a mission. From what she told me, he was a fighter until the very end.”

“I can very much believe that, ma’am,” I answered.

Sherly looked at me, her eyes soft and telling. “Such a sweet young man. The world will always need you, Captain Rogers.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Juniper.” I offered her a smile.

Sherly briefly closed her eyes. Tears spilled from her eyes as she reached forward and gave me a warm, comforting hug. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a feather-like squeeze, just to let her know that I understand her pain.

I feel my own eyes welling, but I managed to keep them at bay long enough for Sherly to go back inside. Once she is gone, I walked into the remains of my apartment and stared at the disaster. The emotional turmoil rumbled in my gut, twisting so tight that I couldn’t breathe. I exhaled sharply, all the regret, pain, and memories exploding through my tears. All I can think is that if I’d been there, I could’ve done something to save Junior. He was a good soldier, a kid. The youngest in the Howling Commandos, but one of the best. He earned his place among the older men in their group quickly. He was always talking about his wife during their raids, especially about her cooking. All he wanted when he came home was kiss his bride and dig in to one of her freshly baked apple pies.

He never got to do either of those things.

_Bzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzz._

Tony gave me an upgrade cell phone that was all touch screen. I didn’t really want the phone, but my flip phone was blown up in the helicarrier during the battle of New York. Tony went as far as to tell me to have Phoebe give me a few lessons if I had trouble. I knew there was an innuendo behind that, but I chose to take it in stride, along with the phone.

I wiped away my final tear for Junior as I pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, Cap.” Tony’s voice blared through the speaker and bounced off my eardrums.

“Why is your voice so loud?” I asked.

“Did you put me on speaker?” Tony replied, sounding like he was scolding me.

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Did you visit Phoebe yet?”

“No.” I frowned. “Why?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to ride with your good pal Iron Man to go see your girlfriend,” Tony said, the amusement apparent in his voice.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I shot back, much to my own disappointment. We had just agreed that there was more to us than just some unspoken flirtation. I doubt Phoebe considered me her boyfriend.

A sigh came from Tony. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“I’m…” I looked around, sighing. “I’m at my apartment. Well, what’s left of it.”

Tony sounded slightly concerned. Slightly. But he covered it up with sarcasm easily. “Did you leave your iron on by accident again?”

“Tony, I swear to God…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “Are you ever not a sarcastic know-it-all?”

“Are you ever not a pain in the ass?”

I chose to ignore that. “I can see your tower from the giant hole that used to be my living room.”

Tony chuckled but I remained silent. “Oh, wait, you were serious? That’s some bad luck there, Cap.”

I sighed into the phone, kicking around debris. “Yeah, I guess I’m just full of bad luck lately.”

“Well, lucky for you, I happen to be douched with good luck.” I could practically hear Tony’s smile through the phone line.

“Stark, what are you talking about?” As soon as I spoke, I regretted it. I knew exactly where he was going. “No, I can’t.”

“You need a place until you can figure out your next move,” Tony was quick to remind me.

“Yeah, but I’m not going to live with you,” I said. I didn’t mean for it to sound as distasteful as it did, but Stark would get the point. The two of us living together? That was a laugh.

“As soon as Phoebe can leave the hospital, I’m going back to California,” Tony said.

“Even so…”

Tony groaned. “Just get whatever is salvageable and meet me downstairs.”

What? I walked over to the hole in my apartment, peering over the edge. Tony stood talking into his phone and looking up from the sidewalk, waving. I chuckled. Stark was just as crazy as Howard, only with ten times more guts.

***

 “Going for a run?” I called out from the second floor of Stark Tower. I was leaning over the balcony carrying a basket of his clothes to wash. Adjusting to Stark Tower took some time, but I was managing just fine with my own penthouse wing. Why Tony needed to have multiple penthouses was beyond me, but it worked out nicely for both of us. The only time either one of us interacted was when they went into the main lobby living area, almost like a common room.

That’s where they were right now.

“Hospital called. Phoebe’s released,” Tony said. He grabbed his keys from the coffee table and was prepared to leave. I couldn’t let him go alone. I jumped over the balcony, landing swiftly on the first floor. “This place is not your personal playground, Rogers. You’re here as a guest. Start acting like it.”

I smirked. “I thought we agreed I was going to pick her up so I could take her out.”

“She just got released from the hospital,” Tony reminded me with a glare. “She is not ready to go out on a date, and she is certainly not going to ride home on a donorcycle.”

I rolled his eyes. “When I talked to her yesterday she said she was excited to ride on my motorcycle.”

Tony grimaced. “I did not need to know that, thankyouverymuch.”

I was confused until I figured out the innuendo Tony threw at me. Then I glared at the billionaire. “You’re a pig, Stark.”

Tony grinned. “Oink, oink. Now step aside.”

“Nope,” I said defiantly, popping the ‘p’.

“I don’t have time to go get the suit on and make you move, so how about you come with me and we call this one a draw. Whatdaya say, Cap?”

I considered him for a moment. “Fine. But watch your speed. You drive like you own the city.”

“It’s a thought,” Tony thought aloud as we walked to the elevator to get to the garage. “J, how much to buy the key to the city?”

“Is this a serious inquiry, sir?” JARVIS asked, his automated voice echoing in the elevator.

The elevator dinged.

“Look it up while I’m gone, J,” Tony ordered, flashing me one of his publicity smiles as we climbed into Tony’s convertible.

“Yes, sir.”

I just shook my head, the tiniest of smiles curving on my lips, proving that Tony at the very least amused me.


	2. Little Black Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony take Phoebe to her old apartment to try to salvage anything she can get her hands on. Tony tells Steve how he and Phoebe first met.

“I checked the remains of her apartment. There wasn’t much left,” I said, trying to make conversation. “How do you think she’ll take the news?”

Tony glanced at me for a brief moment. “That her apartment was destroyed thanks to Banner? I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Did she have any momentos?”

“She wanted her dad’s things kept with my dad’s stuff, so most of it is in California,” Tony answered.

I glanced at Tony’s speed. He was over the limit, but not enough that I was going to yell at him. We bickered a lot, but even Tony admitted to JARVIS one night in the workshop that I was growing on him. Tony even offered his personal jet to me to take Phoebe anywhere she wanted. Though not before he enforced the “Phoebe gets to choose” policy.

The view from the top of the balcony was a hard pill to swallow. The damage done by Loki and the Chitauri was evident by the chunks of road missing, which caused a lot of the traffic to build up. “How did you two meet anyway?” I asked.

Tony, able to look at me fully now that we were stuck in traffic, looked genuinely shocked to hear that Phoebe hadn’t told me their story yet. “Richard was my dad’s lab assistant, as you well know.” Of course I knew that. “But we didn’t meet until I was 12 and she was 9. Our fathers were working on a huge project that required them to travel to Europe for a month. Phoebe stayed with me, Jarvis, and the nanny from hell.”

“Jarvis? He was operational back then?” I knew technology had come a long way in his 70 years under the ice, but JARVIS’s A.I. would be 30 years old by now.

“Jarvis was the name of our butler,” Tony said. “I named J after him.” A beat. “So when Phoebe came to stay with me, she was scared out of her mind, stuck with strangers for an entire month. So, one day Phoebe goes missing. She had Jarvis and the nanny running all over creation trying to find her, which kept the nanny off my scent for a while. Lucky me.

I went to my dad’s workshop to tinker, and I found her messing around with a few instruments. The ‘blow your hair off with fire’ kind of instruments. I snatched the instrument from her, but I turned it on by accident and I set my shirt on fire. I had to do the stop, drop and roll bullshit, then the fire alarms and sprinklers went off.”

“In Howard’s workshop? I bet he had a field day,” I managed to say in between my laughter.

“Yeah. The man shipped me off to boarding school after that.”

I couldn’t hide my frown if I tried. It was hard for me to imagine that Howard was so cold towards his son when he had been nothing but warm and friendly during our time together. “I’m sorry, Tony.”

Tony expertly avoided the apology. “After the sprinklers went off, I grabbed Phoebe and we ran back to my hiding place. Then she laughed. My god did that child laugh. She laughed so hard I had to cover her mouth so the nanny wouldn’t find us. That was the first time she smiled in over a week, and I felt… I dunno… proud, I guess? At least I could give her at least one happy memory while she was staying in the mansion.”

“You’ve always liked her, haven’t you?”

“I guess I did,” Tony acknowledged. “But things worked out for the best. I have a real nice lady that actually likes me – shocker – and Phoebe has you.”

I gave Tony a serious look, a hint of a smile curving under my lips. “And she always will. That I can promise you, Tony. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

Tony pulled up to the hospital roundabout where Phoebe was sitting in a wheelchair waiting. “Yeah, for your sake, I hope you can keep that promise. If not, I’m gonna have to kill you.” Despite the smirk on Tony’s lips, his voice was deadly serious.

My smile vanished. The thought of facing off with Tony made me very uneasy. In fact, I didn’t want to think about that. It’s not that I’d be afraid of losing, but despite our bickering, I like Tony. I have respect for him, and I just pray I never have to come across an enraged, vengeful Iron Man and have to fight him.

“You’re both here!” Phoebe exclaimed, standing up. Her hair was in a messy bun, and yoga pants again. I think she secretly knows how much I admire her in them. The fit every curve on her body perfectly.

“Ma’am, please remain in the wheelchair until someone-”

“I’m fine. I have places to go and a man to see,” Phoebe told the nurse, and I chuckled.

“Which one is yours?” The nurse asked, eyeing us both.

Phoebe pointed to Tony. “Best friend,” then she gestured to me and said, “boyfriend.”

My footsteps came to a screeching halt. Boyfriend? Well, there was a first time for everything. Cue the thrumming heartbeat pounding wildly against my chest, echoing through my eardrums. I gulped slightly, and Tony tapped my shoulder so that I would look at him.

“Remember what I said,” he whispered.

“Right,” was all the strength I had to tell him. Phoebe’s scent assaulted my nostrils when I embraced her. Strawberries and vanilla. I learned in and planted a small kiss on her lips. “I missed you,” I said, smiling like a Chesire cat. I had no control over my actions whenever she was near me, it was a habit that I really should work on controlling.

“I miss you, too,” Phoebe said moments before pressing her lips against mine in a passionate kiss. My God, she tasted amazing, I thought, as I kissed her back.

“Ahem,” Tony choked.

Phoebe tugged on my bottom lip as she pulled away, and if that wasn’t the hottest thing I had ever felt, her teeth scrapping against my flesh, I dunno what did. “How could I forget you?” she quipped, extending her arms. Tony gave her a hug. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Of course. We wouldn’t- well, at least I wouldn’t - let you be stranded here.” Tony tossed a look at me.

I met his eyes with a glare. “I wouldn’t leave her stranded. You wouldn’t let me take my motorcycle.”

“Then get a car,” Tony chided.

Phoebe nudged Tony rather hard. “No, don’t listen to him, Steve. I want to ride on your motorcycle,” Phoebe said. Tony feigned gagging noises but both me and Phoebe ignored it, instead focusing on each other.

“You will, darling,” I assured her, pulling her close. I wasn’t sure when touching Phoebe became instinctive but holding her close was all I could do not throw her up against Tony’s car right now.

Oh god, that image would never leave my head now.

“Steve?”

Phoebe’s voice pulled him out of his lust-filled haze. “Yeah?” I asked.

“Tony said you have something to tell me. What is it?”

Gee, thanks Tony. “Well, it’s about your apartment. You see, the Hulk kinda tore it apart.”

Phoebe’s smile faded, and a worried look appeared in record time. “No. That’s impossible. You have to take me to the apartment.”

“Sparks, there’s nothing there,” Tony tried to reason with her, but it wasn’t working.

Phoebe stomped her foot on the ground, and the Earth under it cracked slightly. “No! Damn it, Tony. I have to go there.”

Tony looked at the ground then at me. I swallowed, noticing the twinge of purple that sparked through her fingertips. Phoebe’s powers were obviously strong, and there was no telling if the power of the Cube did anything to intensify them or not. Clearly, Phoebe’s gift was powerful. Probably the most powerful among our group. And she wasn’t even keen on being an Avenger in the first place.

“Stark, drive back to my apartment,” I ordered Tony.

“Whatever you say, Cap.”

***

 

Inside the apartment, Phoebe surveyed the damage. Debris floated throughout the air, dust and charcoal spread across the furniture. It was an ugly sight for sure. I knew my apartment was messed up, but Phoebe’s was _decimated._  She’d be lucky to salvage anything. A Chitauri must have hit her apartment, not the Hulk.

Phoebe ran out of my sight and into her bedroom. I wanted to keep a close eye on her because she was still a little wobbly leaving the hospital, but I also wanted to keep a respectable distance.

“Everything alright, darling?” I asked from the archway. Phoebe sorted through what remained of her closet, pulling dirt-covered clothes and charred shoes and tossing them all over the place. She was obviously doing searching for something. “Can I help you look-”

“No! Stay back!” Phoebe shouted. I took a step back, wincing at the harshness of her voice. “It has to be here!”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure we can find a replacement.”

“No! You don’t understand! It’s a present,” Phoebe called out to me from the wreckage. “I gave it to you when you were asleep for Christmas. But you didn’t wake up, so I took it back.” Phoebe exhaled sharply, looking up at me with nervous eyes. “I have to find it.”

“Don’t stress,” I assured her. “We’ll find it. And worse comes to shove, if we can’t, it’s alright. I don’t need anything. I have everything I could ever want with you.”

There it was. Phoebe’s beautiful smile poked through her pout, and her eyes glistened with sincerity and warmth. “You really know how to sweet talk a girl, you know that?” She strode over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and toying with a loose strand of hair. I noted the sultriness of her voice and the lust in her eyes. Her lips touched my cheek and swallowed back a moan as her lips lit a fire in their wake. Phoebe planted small kisses from my cheek to the curve of my jaw to behind my ear.

“Must be doin’ somethin’ right,” I rasped, the lust bringing out my thick Brooklyn accent. I felt Phoebe smile under my cheek, and I assumed it was because she liked my accent.

“Must be,” Phoebe breathed before connecting her lips to mine in a beautifully, _painfully_ slow kiss.

Kissing Phoebe was like watching the sunset. Beautiful, but impatient. I found himself wanting more with every kiss, every touch, every scent that I inhaled. Our lips tangled together in a dance that ignited a part of me I wasn’t sure existed until now. The sudden need to hold her close took over and I pulled at her jean straps, tugging her as close as I possibly could. I felt Phoebe’s tongue lick at my lips and I granted her access, delving into her mouth. It was a quest to be treasured, learning every curve of her mouth, every moan eliciting from the back of her throat. I committed them all to memory.

I pulled away gently, kissing the inside of Phoebe’s palm. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a date?”

Phoebe’s eyes grew wide. “A real date? Like candlelight, slow violins, fancy restaurant with $500 wine, constant compliments and lots of wooing? The whole 9 yards?”

“A real date,” I promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Maybe not $500 wine, but if that’s what you really want, I’m sure I can swing it.”

“Are you kidding? I can go with Boone’s Farm and Netflix if I had to,” Phoebe said, giggling. Tony was right, she had one heck of a laugh. “Yes, Steve, I would be honored to go on a date with you.”

“Hey lovebirds,” Tony greeted, walking into the room. “What’s this?” he asked, holding a burnt black box.

“Oh my god!” Phoebe released her grip on me and ran up to Tony, yanking the box away. “You found it!”

“I found what?”

“Steve’s present!”

Tony pouted. “And I don’t get anything?”

“You get my friendship,” Phoebe quipped as she handed me the box. “I hope you like it. I’ve had it for a while.”

I undid the bow and tore at the black velvet box. I opened the box and… _oh my god._

It was my compass.

“You had this?” I asked, taking out the compass and flipping it open Peggy’s picture was still intact down to the last scratch.

“I found it while searching for you in the arctic. I wanted to give it back to you at the perfect moment.”

“It is perfect,” I said. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“I’ve been meaning to visit her,” Phoebe said, lazily fumbling with debris under her feet. “Would you like to come with me the next time I visit her?”

I paused. I still hadn’t decided if I wanted to visit Peggy yet. Part of me wanted to jump in Tony’s car right now and drive to D.C. to see her, but another part of me wanted to keep my distance. Maybe I didn’t want to dig up my past. Maybe there was something else. But I know Phoebe is close to Peggy, and maybe that is what makes this so complicated. Am I betraying Peggy by being with Phoebe? 

“Do you think she’d recognize me?”

“I can remind her,” Phoebe said, smiling softly.

“I guess we’re taking a day trip to D.C., darling,” I said with a warm smile. There was only one way to find out how Peggy would react to seeing me.

“Well, that was adorable, but JARVIS is telling me that the structural integrity of this section of the building is about to collapse, so we should probably go,” Tony said, tapping his foot.

“And you wait till now to tell us?!” Phoebe shot back.

Just then, a rumble radiated through the floor, and a large crack split down the middle of the flooring, separating me from Phoebe and Tony. Phoebe’s furniture fell through the large, open crack and screams erupted from under us.

I looked outside. Our building was collapsing in on itself, caving outward towards the city. Towards the civilians.


	3. Molecura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve, Tony, and Phoebe save the day, and Phoebe gets a superhero name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is so short! This is kind of like a small action-y sequence and then fluff. It sets up for the next chapter! Enjoy! :) Don't forget to leave comments or kudos please!

“There’s civilians down there,” Tony said, bracing himself against a structure.

I turned to Phoebe. “Can you put a force field around the building?”

“I can try,” Phoebe said.

I couldn’t tell her right now because we didn’t have time, but I had complete faith in her abilities. She gave a quick look and I knew in my heart that she read my mind. She let out what sounded like an inhuman growl as she pushed her hands outward, emitting a dark purple energy that swirled out the window. I followed the purple energy until it formed a solid barrier under the debris. The force of the impact against the force field tossed us all out of the same window and sent us hurdling towards the ground. I acted on instinct, grabbing Phoebe and holding her against my body so that I would absorb the majority of the fall. I could take it, and I know that Phoebe had the same durability that I had, but like I said... instinct took over. Phoebe looked at Tony and held out her hand, wrapping a solid purple cord around his wrist and pulling towards her. I guess I was taking the brunt for both of them because she held Tony around her body the same way I was holding her.

We landed on the ground with a hard thud. Tony went flying onto a nearby car and Phoebe hit a beltway sign. I hit my head against a metal piece of debris, my vision doubling for a moment before I grabbed my bearings. I hear the screams of the civilians running away from the loose debris of the building. Phoebe’s already on the scene maintaining the force field, so I went into action getting the last of the civilians out of range.

“This way!” I yelled, motioning them to follow. “Follow Tony!”

“Mommy? Mommy, where are you?! I’m scared. Mommy, help!”

Tony didn’t hear the little girl’s cry over the screams of everyone else, the screech of the building collapsing in on itself, metal twisting and bending under Phoebe’s powers. But I did.

“Tony, get everyone else out of the area!” I shouted loud enough for him to hear.

“Where are you going?!” Tony shot back.

“Just go!” I dove under the force field, which was falling inch by inch. Phoebe was losing control of it. It was dark under here, and I was grateful the serum gave me more than just super hearing. I found the little girl quickly. Her leg was trapped under a big chunk of metal, bleeding pretty bad. “Hey there,” I said to her.

“Who’s there?!” she cried, and her voice sounded like she was cowering away from me.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. My name is Steve. I’m… Captain America. I’m here to help you. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Ka-aylie,” the little girl stammered. “I think m-my leg’s tr-trapped.”

I took out my phone. What was the button Tony told me to hit to activate my router to JARVIS? Oh, right. The home button three times. “JARVIS?”

“Hello, Captain Rogers, and welcome to your portable assistant,” it said, sounding just like JARVIS.

“Activate flashlight and scan vitals,” I said, setting the phone down. The flashlight activated and I could see the little girls’ bright blue eyes and long, black hair. “Alright, Kaylie. This is JARVIS. He’s gonna check you out while I help free your leg, okay?”

“Okay,” Kaylie said, hugging herself with her arms.

“Vitals are normal. The patient appears to have a tibial spiral leg fracture,” JARVIS said.

I began lifting the metal structure from her leg. “What are my treatment options?”

“Elevation and splinting are your best options until EMS arrives at the scene.”

“ETA?”

“Five minutes.”

I grit my teeth and got a better grip on the metal beam, lifting it and tossing it as far away from Kaylie as possible. The force field fell lower, just barely above my head. “Okay, Kaylie,” I started, kneeling down to her. I grabbed the first thing I could find, two thick pieces of wood. “I’m gonna put these on either side of your leg. You may feel a little pain, but I promise it will help.”

“Steve?” Kaylie asked.

“Yeah, Kaylie?” I took my t-shirt off and ripped at the bottom to secure the splint.

“You’re really strong,” she said, smiling.

I laughed. She was adorable. “I guess I am. Do you think I can lift you?”

Kaylie shrugged, and pretended to put a finger to her lips. “I don’t know. My doctor says I’m 50 pounds. Can you lift that much?”

The force field fell lower, hitting my head and pushing face first into the ground.

“Steve, get out of there!” Phoebe yelled, her voice echoing around us.

“Ahhh!” Kaylie screamed, tears streaming down her face.

“Okay. Time to go.” I scooped Kaylie up bridal style, putting her head under the remains of my shirt as I headed for the exit.

The force field cracked and split open. Behind us, the force field had broken and the building was crashing onto the road. I ran faster, but the force field was breaking. I could see Tony standing at the entrance, arms extended outward. He nodded and I nodded back, understanding his idea.

“Kaylie, I’m gonna toss you to Tony and he is going to catch you,” I said.

“No! I’m scared!” Kaylie shrieked, cowering into my chest.

“It’s okay. You know why? Because Tony is Iron Man. He doesn’t have his suit on right now, but he will catch you. I promise. You gotta trust me, okay?"

“O-okay,” Kaylie sniffled.

“Ready? One, two, three!” I tossed Kaylie and dove out from under the building just as the force field broke down and collapsed. I just barely missed being crushed

Kaylie landed safely in Tony’s arms and medical took her right away.

Phoebe fell to her knees, blood running down her nose. Tony repeatedly told the girl she’d be okay, and cheers erupted around us. Clapping and shouting, I faintly heard Kaylie’s name coming from someone’s lips.

“Where’s my daughter? I need to see my daughter! Kaylie!”

The police had already blocked off the street with tape caution boards, and a black-haired woman was arguing with one of the policemen. “Let her in,” I ordered, and they let her through. I’m pretty sure my foot got caught in the building for a split second because it was throbbing and the pain shot up my leg. I limped over to Phoebe. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Phoebe panted. “It was a lot of energy. Are you alright?”

“I’ll survive.”

We walked over to medical. I waved off EMS as soon as they tried to put a stethoscope to my chest. Tony was sitting with the little girl and her mother.

“Oh, thank you!” Kaylie’s mother cried out.

“It was no trouble, really,” Phoebe said.

“Hey, wait a second. I know you,” the woman gasped. “You’re the Avenger who saved us from those monsters. Molecura!”

“I’m sorry, Molecura?” Phoebe asked, puzzled.

“The whole city voted and gave you a superhero name for saving us. Do you like it?”

Phoebe looked at me. I could only give her a proud smile. What more could you ask for from your city than to have them give you your own superhero name? Phoebe looked back at the woman and smiled. “Thank you, I truly appreciate it.”

“Thank you again for saving my daughter,” the woman said, shaking our hands.

“Of course,” Tony said, smiling.

“It’s our job, ma’am,” I said. “Right, Molecura?” Phoebe just smiled.

“I’m kinda partial to Sparks, but I guess Molecura is more superheroey,” Tony said once the woman left with the ambulance.

Phoebe tossed him a glare. "Funny," she muttered. Holding my hand, she sighed and looked at the roadway. “I guess I'll have to call SHIELD and get a new apartment.”

“Well, that’ll take forever. Maybe you should just join Steve at the Tower,” Tony offered, sounding completely serious.

“You’re living at the Tower?” Phoebe looked at me like I’d lost his mind, which at the time of saying yes to moving there, I might have been honestly.

“Temporarily,” I said in defense. “But I wouldn’t mind having a roommate.”

“We haven’t even been on a date yet and you’re already asking me to move in with you? Steven Grant Rogers, I am shocked.”

“What can I say? I’m smitten,” I replied playfully, leaning for a kiss.

“What if there’s photographers?” Phoebe asked, stepping aside.

“Do you not want them to know?” I asked. I was never one to be concerned with other people’s thoughts, though I was raised not to explicitly display public affection. I aways felt that if you had someone in your life that mattered, you should show them off to the world, and hold them close. That’s what I wanted to do with Phoebe.

“I’m not concerned with them. I thought you might be,” she said.

“Well, we need to nip that thought in the butt,” I said before I spun her around, dipping her downward and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Cheers rose around us along with the ohhhs and awws. Some, from the corner of my eyes, glared, but only the teenage girls who I assumed were jealous of Phoebe. I pulled away to give her some air, but she pulled my face towards her for another kiss. I smiled into the kiss and pulled her upwards, holding her as close as I could until she pulled away.

“Wow,” Phoebe breathed. “Way to make a girl feel like Greta Freidman.”

“Who’s Greta Freidman?” Steve asked, curious.

Phoebe pulled up a photograph that looked like it came from my time. “When the world announced we won the war, someone capture them kissing. It was a big day for us.”

“I’m glad we won,” I admitted. “I really didn’t want to wake up to find out I died for nothing.”

“No, that would’ve been awful,” Phoebe joked, tapping me on the chest lightly. “But you know what all this means, right?” she asked me, gesturing to the disaster area.

“What’s that, darling?”

“You get to help me pick out a brand-new wardrobe on SHIELD’s tab!”

Even I knew that was code for ‘run like the wind’. I gave Tony quick glance.

“Oh, I can’t help you there, brother. I’m just glad it’s not me for once,” Tony said before he burst into laughter.

Great, looks like Iron Man is pleading the fifth on this one. Alright, Steve. Take it like a man. “Well, maybe we can make that our date. We’ll go shopping, get something to eat, maybe go to a movie?”

Phoebe’s eyes lit up, and honestly, that was all I could ever hope for.

Maybe a shopping date won’t be so bad.


	4. Couple of Saps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Phoebe made a deal. Natasha gives Steve dating advice.

***  


Phoebe and Natasha had a girl’s shopping day to buy the intimate items the day after Phoebe moved in to the Tower. I didn’t want to admit that I had never seen a woman in that discretion, so when Phoebe asked if I wanted to come, I told her that I was going to train with Clint.

“I’ll have my cell phone on me if you need anything,” Phoebe said before giving me a kiss goodbye. I watched her leave through the corridors to the elevator with Natasha, who gave me a inconspicuous wink. I have no idea what it means, but coming from Natasha, it can’t be anything good. 

When they came back, Phoebe had on a bright smile and a flashy jacket with VS etched on the back in gold sparkles. Her strawberry blonde hair was loose, gathering just above her chest, and when she looked at me, her hair fell behind her shoulders, leaving me to stare in awe.

I was lucky. Beyond lucky. What did I do to deserve someone like her?

“You look… wow,” I breathed, walking over to them.

“Aww, look, Pheebs, you made him blush,” Natasha quipped with a smirk.

“Funny, Nat. How was the trip?”

Phoebe set a pink striped bag on the coffee table. “Great! We went to Victoria’s Secret and I hit a great sale.”

“Sales are always good,” I agreed.

Phoebe and Natasha thumbed through the bag, pulling out pants, sweatshirts and other items. “What do you think?” Phoebe asked, lifting a nightgown out of the bag. It was satin pink with black lace at the top.

“I think it’s… thin,” I gulped. I felt the frog in my throat grow every second as she twirled the fabric around, smiling at me with glisteningly bright eyes.

“I’m going to go put these away. Then I can make us some lunch. Chicken salad okay?” Phoebe said. I nodded, and she kissed my cheek before she left.

“If you think that’s thin, you don’t wanna see the thongs,” Natasha commented as she picked up her clothes to put them in a separate bag.

“Thongs?” I asked, confused. Natasha dug into her bag and pulled something out, handing it to me.

“Is this?-” Natasha nodded. “It covers nothing,” I noted, feeling the fabric.

“That’s the idea, genius,” Natasha said with an eye roll.

“That can’t be comfortable,” I grimaced, handing the material back to her.

“Oh, it’s not. But the idea is that it’s not left on long enough to get uncomfortable.”

Oh. So that’s what it’s used for. “So did Phoebe buy any… you know?”

“Thongs?” I found word hard to say, so I just nodded. “Absolutely. She bought thongs, a silk robe, lots of lacey bras with matching lace undies. All kinds of stuff. I’m sure you’ll see them eventually.”

“Eventually?” My mouth felt dry all of a sudden. Imagining Phoebe like that… that was not something a gentleman should be thinking about. But I couldn’t help myself.

“Well, you have to go on at least one date before you throw her on a bed and ravage her,” Natasha chuckled.

My eyes grew wide. “That’s not what I…”

Natasha shook her head. “Look-” she sat down and patted the seat next to her. I sat down, hands in my pocket and listened to what she had to say. “Do you think you’re ready to date a 21st century woman?”

“Well, she has an old-fashioned soul,” I reasoned. That was one of the things I loved about her. She and I could watch classic movies for hours on and end, and never get bored. She loved listening to music from my time, and I actually understood the meaning behind the words. Being with Phoebe was simple. It was real. And if Natasha is going to try to level with me about how it’s different because Phoebe and I are from different eras, she won’t win. I won’t let her.

“All I’m saying is that in order to prepare for your date this weekend, you could use some tips.”

“Alright,” I said. “What advice would you give me?”

Natasha smiled. “Well my first tip would be to be careful what you put on the internet. These days, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter posts can be life or death for some girls.”

“Should I know what a Twitter is?” I asked, confused.

“It’s social media. You tweet what you’re doing online, share photos of food, and update your relationship status,” Natasha waved off.

“But why?”

“To let your friends know,” Natasha said matter-of-fact.

I was still really confused. “But if they’re your friends, wouldn’t they already know?”

“This is so not the point,” Natasha said, and she ended the topic, though I really wanted to ask her about this _tweeting_ thing. Of course her number one rule is to be careful what you put online. That had to be Russian spy in her. “Since number one doesn’t apply to you, we’ll go right into number two. If you ask, you pay.”

“That’s an obvious one,” I said, grinning. “Men always pay for dates. And I certainly have enough stowed away since I can count on my fingers on one hand how many dates I’ve been on.”

Natasha looked at me, her eyes softening. “That really sucks. But that’s also not true anymore. While most women still believe in the man pays policy, most are following the feminist movement and being more independent. Paying for meals, picking up the man for the date, things like that. But one thing to also keep in mind. Do _not_ go all the way on the first date.”

“Wow,” I breathed, running my heads through my head. “That’s definitely not what I was taught. You call a woman or ask in person at least three days ahead of time, then you pick her up and knock on her door, and you do all the driving, paying and holding things like soda pops and grocery bags. You also didn’t even kiss on the first date, much less all the way. But I guess that ship sailed...”

“That is now called chivalry, not mandatory,” Natasha giggled.

“Phoebe said chivalry was dead.”

“It is,” Phoebe said, coming from around the corner. She was in neon green pajama bottoms and a white v-neck tee shirt and bunny slippers. Could she have been any cuter? Probably. “So, what’d I miss?” she asked, plopping on the couch.

“I was just teaching Steve here the ins and outs of modern dating,” Natasha said with a glint in her eyes, standing up. “He knows the drill, don’t you Steve?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “You heading out?”

“Yeah, I have lots of paperwork waiting for me at home about the Germany mission,” Natasha said. “But I’ll text you later this week, Pheebs. I want all the details.”

“Down to the year the wine bottle was made,” Phoebe responded, and she wrapped her arms around mine, intertwining our hands.

“Have fun you two crazy kids,” Natasha said before she left.

Phoebe looked up at me with bright eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

I furrowed my brows, looking at her with a puzzled look on my face. “What do you mean, darling? Of course I’m ready. I’ve never been so sure about someone in my entire life.”

Phoebe smiled, and I returned the smile, kissing her forehead. “I’m just checking. I know that you haven’t had the chance to really think about everything. Waking up in the future, losing your friends, Peggy… you wake up and I just feel like we met in the middle of you adjusting to this new part of your life. I don’t want to push you into something if-”

I don’t know what came over me. But I tugged at the pockets of Phoebe’s jacket, pulling her into my lap and kissing her hard. She shrieked under my mouth and the vibrations sent a tingle down my throat and into my stomach. I planted small kisses to the corner of her mouth, her jaw, behind her ears, marking her as mine.

“I know what I want,” I told her through heavy breaths. I kissed her again, pulling away only to see her reaction.

“And what is that, Captain Rogers?” she asked me, her voice dipping into dangerously seductive territory.

“You.” I captured her lips again, and I felt drunk on the taste of her mouth. I let my hands roam on her smooth, porcelain arms before reaching her face to cup her gently before tangling my hands in her hair. Phoebe’s hands made their way to my pecs and they gripped my shirt tightly, moaning loud.

“God, I can’t…” I trailed off, nuzzling my head in the crook of her neck. “Phoebe,” I moaned. I had no idea what I wanted from her. All I knew is that her legs moved in circular motions, ghosting over mine, not exactly touching me. I was glad for that because I could feel my desire for her growing at my waist, and I don’t want her to be afraid or think I was only after her for one thing.

It was so much more than that.

“I know,” Phoebe whispered into my ear before gently nipping at my earlobe and making me moan again. “I know it’s more than that,” she added, smiling wide and capturing my lips into a quick French kiss.

I could only smile. I didn’t even notice that she penetrated my thoughts or that her hands were glowing as they pressed under my shirt, feeling my muscles move as I struggled to get comfortable without her-

_Uh oh._

Phoebe ground her hips hard against mine, hitting me right where I had hoped she didn’t. A guttural moan escaped my lips before I could stop it, and my hands moved to her waist, pressing her against my waist. I was sure to leave bruises I was holding her so hard, but she gave just as much as I took. Her hands went flying to my hair, my head as her kiss became a struggle to poke through my mouth and tangle with my tongue. I let her in and lifted my hips gently, hitting something that caused Phoebe moan so loud, the glass table shook.

“I should probably turn it off,” Phoebe groaned, tossing her head back. I immediately sought for her neck, licking and tugging at the flesh. “Oh, god…”

I didn’t have control over what I said next.

“We should probably stop,” I gasped as her hips repeatedly hit that sensitive spot on my waist, causing a beautiful friction. “Natasha said one of my rules was not to… you know… right away.”

“Mmm, she’s right,” Phoebe huffed, pulling away, stilling her movements on my lap and making me hiss. “I did kinda wanna do this the old-fashioned way,” she admitted, sighing. “Or at the very least, normal.”

I chuckled against her neck, pressing a gently kiss to her pulse point. “We’re not normal. But I do know that you wanted to do this the old-fashioned way. So you know what?”

“What?” Phoebe asked, looking into my eyes with curiosity sparkling around her seafoam orbs.

“Until our date Saturday, we shouldn’t see each other. Give it more of an illusion that we’re trying to be old-fashioned.”

“That’s like three days,” Phoebe said, eyes wide. “You really think we can avoid each other for three days?”

“Sure,” I said, though the crack in my voice was hard to hide. “By the time I pick you up from your bedroom at 8’o clock, we will be well on our way to a perfect evening, just like you would’ve had if you dated me in 1945, post-serum, of course.”

“Why not pre-serum Steve? I saw your SSR file. Pre-serum Steve seemed like a really great guy.”

I was speechless. “Uh, yeah. I’m still the same guy I was before the serum. I just have more wisdom, more experience, and a better build now.”

“Well,” Phoebe said, leaning forward, ghosting her lips over mine. My breathing hitched. “I like pre-serum Steve,” she kissed me slow and tender, “post-serum Steve,” she kissed me again and I smiled, “1945 or 2012,” she kissed me and this time, I kissed her back. She moaned softly, pulling away and dragging her teeth over my lips as she did. God, I loved that. “I just like _you_.”

I wrapped both arms around her frame, looking deep into her eyes. “I like you, too. All parts of you. The Phoebe that had no powers, the Phoebe with powers, and everything in the middle.”

“Are we a couple of saps or what?” Phoebe giggled and she lifted herself off of my now relaxed waist. I stood up and walked her down the hallway towards her corridors. We stopped just outside of her bedroom. “Here’s my stop.”

“Until Saturday,” I said, taking her hand. I kissed the inside of her palm and then pressed one last kiss to her lips. She smiled into the kiss and massaged my scalp for a moment, stopping right after I pulled away.

I found myself regretting the decision to stay away from each other until Saturday.

I don’t know if one of us will break, but if anyone does, I have a feeling it might be me.


	5. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve gets advice from Clint and Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically, this is the last chapter! BUT I plan writing their date as an epilogue to this story, so stay tuned for that! <3

***  
**_Day One_**

Why did I torture myself, you ask? For love, of course. It’s always for love.

Did I think when I blurted out, “let’s avoid each other for 3 days to make it more realistic”? Hell no.

Do I regret saying it? Since the moment Phoebe closed her bedroom door and left me standing out in the hallway alone.

We ran into each other in the kitchen. It was quick. She grabbed cereal and I reached for a protein shake. Our hands touched. It was enough because I set my shake down and wrapped my arms around her waist, planting a soft kiss on her lips before she could protest. Her lips melted against mine after a moment and I smiled, pulling away so gently that my lips ghosted over her lips.

“Day one starts now,” I mumbled to her, opening my eyes to look at her.

Phoebe’s green eyes glowed softly under the stove light, a warm smile plastered on her face. I returned the smile and let her go, grabbing my shake and walking out of the room.

From the living room I heard her mutter, “Damn him!”, which put a smile on my face.

***  


I needed a distraction. Anything to keep me from peeking into Phoebe’s office where I knew she was working. This time I actually meant it when I called Clint to come train.

“You guys live in a penthouse together,” Clint said in between dodging my punches. I landed a decent jab at his shoulder, knocking him backwards. He recovered quickly, hands folded into fists. “What did you think was going to happen?”

I shrugged then dropped to my knees to avoid a kick. “I don’t want to screw it up. I’m not exactly a pro at dating.” My mind went to Phoebe. I didn’t see Clint’s kick to the face until my back was already on the blue mat of the training room.

I looked at Clint, who had a wicked grin on his face. “I saw an opening,” he shrugged. It was a good kick, too. Knocked me down pretty good. “As for dating? I dunno what to tell you, man.”

“You don’t have a girlfriend?” I asked as we walked to the juice bar in the corner of the training room. It was a nice bonus Tony installed when the Avengers began training here. Serviced by JARVIS and DUM-E.

“I’ve had girlfriends before, but no. No current girlfriend,” Clint admitted, then looked at DUM-E. “Hey, Dums. Can I get a kiwi-strawberry vitamin water?”

DUM-E moved his hand up and down and went over to the refrigerator.

“That’s surprising,” I commented. DUM-E set the water on the bar counter. “Lemonade vitamin water. Thanks, Dums,” I said to the robot. I look above him, noticing the dunce hat. “Did Tony put that on you again?” DUM-E shook his claw after he set down my water, making a slow, sad electronic noise. I jumped on the bar counter and grabbed the dunce hat, ripping it in two. “There ya go, buddy. Don’t listen to Tony. You’re not a dunce.”

DUM-E held his claw out and I punched it lightly, chuckling when DUM-E made a happier sounding noise.

“Dude, you’re friends with an automated claw,” Clint pointed out, his eyebrows raised.

I looked at DUM-E then back at Clint, smiling to myself. He was right. I trained a lot, and DUM-E works the juice bar more than JARVIS during the daytime hours when JARVIS needs to work on other tasks. But DUM-E was pretty cool.

“That is so not the point here,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Oh I’m sorry, I thought we were done with you obsessing over this date,” Clint mumbled into his water bottle. Just for that comment, I tapped his cup upwards, splashing the water in his face. “Hey!”

I chugged the rest of my water and grabbed boxing gloves for our next session. “I’m not obsessing,” I countered. “I just want it to be perfect, no matter what.”

“That’s literally the definition of obsessing,” Clint retorted, laughing. My own teammate was laughing at me. I guess it doesn’t get any more pathetic than that. “You’re over thinking things, like you usually do. When we’re in battle, you’re like a boss. You don’t think, you act. Sure, you come up with pre-battle tactics for us, but when do we ever actually use them?”

“Never because you all listen like a bunch of five-year-olds.”

“Hulk maybe,” Clint agreed, strapping on his gloves. “But you’re missing the point. You work best when you don’t overthink. Just let it happen, man. You two have crazy chemistry. Everyone on the team can feel it.”

“I’m sure Tony wishes he didn’t,” I chuckled, and threw the first punch.

Clint dodged it and came at me, but I blocked it. “He may act tough, but he’s happy for you guys, deep down. Way deep down,” he said, tossing a few punches my way. One of the hit me in the side, and I coddled it a bit.

“Good one,” I groaned, straightening my stance. I spun around and kicked Clint, but his hands came down in defense, creating a friction that knocked us both backwards against the rubberized strings.

“Damn,” Clint moaned on his knees, coughing slightly. I felt kind of bad and knelt to help him until Clint came up with a jab to my jaw, knocking me on my back. He pinned me on the ring, straddling me. “See? You were overthinking.”

I smirked and found a way out, flipping him over and holding him against the ring. “I was strategizing,” I countered, letting him go. We were both running out of training techniques, so we took a breather on the benches. “I guess you’re right. I do overthink things. Like when I found out about Howard and her father, and about her torture.”

“Women are complicated. Phoebe’s been through hell. Whatever they did to her while she was captured, it really messed with her psyche. She was fragile for a long time, and she found solace in searching for you. You turning up alive was a turning point for her, too. For the first time in a long time, she had hope. You gave that to her.”

Hearing Clint say that made my heart swell. I wanted to run out of the training room and storm into Phoebe’s office and embrace her right then and there. I knew I was something special to her, but I never imagined that I would be her… her savior. It only made my feelings for Phoebe that much stronger.

“Any final words of advice before our training slash therapy session ends?” I asked jokingly.

“Yeah,” Clint said, grabbing his duffle bag. “Make sure she’s the type of girl who _wants_ to be wooed by opening doors for them and pulling out their chair. I once had a girl who hated that. I went to pull out her chair as she was sitting herself down and she fell on her ass. Let’s just say I didn’t get a second date.”

Women were definitely different now than they were back in my day.

I headed towards my side of the penthouse, passing by the common room. On the top floor, I could hear footsteps walking back and forth in a brutal pace. I glanced above me, and saw Phoebe talking on the phone to someone.

“I am going crazy here,” Phoebe said.

_“How much longer until it’s over?”_

“If we keep this up, it won’t be very long at all!”

_“It’ll be alright, Pheebs. Have you talked to Tony?”_

“He’s coming by tomorrow to pick up DUM-E and take him back to California. But I don’t want to bother him with my relationship problems.”

Problems? We’re having problems? Since when? I shouldn’t be listening. I really shouldn’t. Maybe I should-

_“I’m here for you whatever you decide.”_

Decide? What needs to be decided?

Clint’s right. Women are complicated.

***  
**_Day Two_**

Tony wasted no time flying in from California. By lunchtime he was on his floor of the penthouse making so much noise that it woke me up. I finally couldn’t take anymore of his awful choice of music, and I made my way to the elevator.

“Tony, if you don’t stop with ridiculously loud devil music, I swear to God I will-”

Well, this was awkward.

“Oh, hey,” Tony greeted while holding his hands on my girlfriend’s hips as he swayed her close to him. “Now you just step to the side and…” Tony spun her around, dipping her downward and catching her just before she hit her head on the coffee table. “Check you out, Sparks. See, now you have no worries in case Spangles takes you out dancing.”

“Are you crazy?” I yelled. “She almost hit her head on the coffee table.”

“Seeing as how she can talk to you, allow me,” Tony quipped, then his eyes widened and his voice changed to a higher pitch. “Oh, stop it, babe! Don’t worry about me so much. With your age, you may start to wrinkle.”

“Stark, so help me…” I warned.

Phoebe sighed. “Okay, I cave. It’s over, Steve.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry, what? Did you just call it quits?” Phoebe nodded. “I never thought I’d win.”

Phoebe laughed and wrapped an arm around mine. “Congrats, love. What would like your reward to be?”

I smirked, finding a newfound confidence. I leaned forward and kissed her gently, slow and tender. Phoebe moaned and wrapped her hands around my neck, trapping me in her grasp.

“I still can’t get use to you two actually being a couple,” Tony groaned, looking away. I pulled back, wiping my mouth, my other hand still on the small of Phoebe’s back. “But for what it’s worth, I’m glad you have each other.”

Phoebe smiled, and her eyes brightened like the sun beaming along the shoreline of the ocean. Pure and warm. “Thank you, Tony. Really,” she said, and she rested her head against my arm.

“So there’s a human being under all that sarcasm and pride,” I quipped, giving him a smirk.

Tony acknowledged my smirk with his own and shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“Any advice with this one,” I gestured to Phoebe, “before you head out?”

Tony looked at Phoebe before turning back to me. “Don’t underestimate her. She may look to be innocent, but the girl’s a wild card.”

“A wild card, huh?” I looked to Phoebe, who merely blushed and hid in my chest. “I dunno, she seems pretty tame.”

“You’ll see,” Tony said, heading towards the elevator. I let go of Phoebe for a moment to walk Tony out. “On a serious note, Cap, watch out for her for me. My best advice when it comes to Phoebe is she won’t tell you when she’s scared or upset or angry. She’ll bottle it up until one day she explodes. And with her powers, that can be lethal.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I know. I try to offer my shoulder, but she’s stubborn. She only takes it-”

“When she’s got nothing else to lose,” Tony finished, understanding exactly what I was saying. “I’ll see you around, Cap.”

“Bye, Tony.”

I watched Tony enter the elevator, then I felt hands wrap around my jean straps, turning me until I was face to face with a determined Phoebe.

“So, what did the Big Bad Stark say about me?” she asked, batting her eyelashes and biting her lip.

A half-smile appeared on my face and left as soon as I felt her kissing my lips. I sighed into the kiss and allowed myself to feel the yearning for Phoebe. She pulled me by the jean strap harder, crashing her hips against mine, causing a guttural moan to escape my lips.

“Phoebe,” I moaned in a voice that was unfamiliar to me.

“Yes?” she asked, licking the corner of my mouth and nibbling at my jawline. I closed my eyes, my thoughts escaping me.

“Do you like to be wooed?”

Phoebe chuckled against my neck, the vibrations sending tingles down my spine. I suppressed a moan long enough to hear her say, “Doesn’t every girl?”

I smiled and looked into her eyes. “Just checking. I want tomorrow to be perfect."

Phoebe appreciated that, I could tell. She smiled wide and cupped a hand to my cheek. “We could be having Shwarma on the side of the road and I’d still be happy because I’d be with you.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” she said, and she kissed me again. “But let’s not have Shwarma tomorrow. It wasn’t very good.”

“No, it wasn’t.” I quickly agreed with her. “Don’t worry. I have tomorrow all figured out. 8’o clock on the dot.”

Phoebe leaned in to my embrace, pressing herself against my chest. “Don’t you dare be late, mister.”

I closed my eyes and smiled.

And maybe that’s what we need in life. Not someone for companionship, or someone to watch over us. But someone to help want to be better. Someone who can stand next to us with a genuine smile and tell us they believe in all that we are, all the values we share, and be there even when we tell them to go away.

Maybe we need someone we can look at and say with all our heart: “Who I am today is because they love me. But it is because I love them that I continue to be that person.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget. I have an epilogue planned to add to this story. Stay Tuned!


	6. Casablanca

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Phoebe go on their magical date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never been to Salina's so I know nothing about it's location, or set up. Sorry fellow New York readers! The song at the end is "I remember you" by Jo Stafford. I love love love her music.  
> Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgSrh9SmKaI

***  
**_Phoebe_**

A sweet, fresh floral scent flooded Phoebe’s nostrils as she opened her eyes. Bright red rose petals coated her lavender satin sheets. Phoebe smiled and picked up a few of the petals, holding them to her nose to take in the scent. Steve was always the romantic type, but this was absolutely beautiful.

_Knock, knock._

“Come on,” Phoebe said as she tossed a few petals into the air. She looked up, her eyes meeting Natasha’s. “Hey, Nat. What are you doing here?”

“You really think I’d miss helping you get ready for your date?” Natasha replied with a smile. She sat on the edge of Phoebe’s bed, toying with a rose petal she had picked up from the floor. “Looks like he’s starting early.”

“Looks like it. But I’m not complaining,” Phoebe said, threading her fingers in the petals. They were soft and plush. “What’s on the agenda?”

“Manicure and pedicure, dress shopping, doing your makeup. The usual,” Natasha said.

“You, Black Widow, are willing to do all that?” Phoebe asked, surprised.

Natasha offered a half-smile, shrugging. “Friends make sacrifices for the greater good.”

“So do superheroes,” Phoebe added with a wink.

“Yeah, yeah, _Molecura_.”

“How did you hear about that?”

Natasha laughed and pulled up the news article on her smartphone.

AVENGER PHOEBE REYNOLDS OFFICIALLY NAMED “MOLECURA” BY THE CITY

“It’s kind of catchy,” Natasha admitted, putting her phone away.

Phoebe shrugged and got out of bed. She walked over to the walk-in closet in her bedroom. “I’m still getting used to the idea of people knowing who I am. I spent so many years being hidden, unable to use my powers to help people, going through several hoops to keep my identity a secret from HYDRA. Now it’s all out there and it’s kind of terrifying.”

Natasha followed her into the closet. Seeing Phoebe naked wasn’t something for Natasha to shriek about. They’ve seen each other naked during long term missions and in the locker room at work. SHIELDS field outfits were very fitting. Most of the time, both went without a bra because of the already constricted material.

“We’ll find Strucker,” Natasha said, and she meant every word. With every fiber of her being, Phoebe was going to be freed from her past. One way or another.

“Eventually,” Phoebe said, not sounding convinced. “All they have to do is look into the latest news clipping to find out where I am and it’s over.”

“That’s another reason why I’m here.” Natasha’s voice changed – sounding more serious than before – and Phoebe felt this was a conversation that required her full attention. “Fury wants to put you in protective custody again.”

“No,” was a rather quick answer, but one that Phoebe was set on. “I told him once that I refused and that’s exactly what I will tell him again.”

“You know how Fury gets. He wants to make sure-”

Phoebe sighed, refusing to look at Natasha while putting her shoes on. “Oh come off it, Nat. He just wants to make sure his weapon is safe.”

Natasha groaned. “That’s not true. He cares about you as a person and he doesn’t want to see you hurt.”

Tension was building, and Phoebe could feel it course through her veins. She and Natasha “How can you defend him after New York? Phase Two? He hasn’t always been 100% truthful with us. I’m starting to wonder who and what I’m working for. Don’t you?”

There was silence from both ends until Phoebe felt the pain and betrayal of Natasha’s heart come to the surface.

“I’m not defending him,” Natasha started. “But I also don’t want to see you hurt.”

“I’ll be fine,” Phoebe assured her, though she wasn’t so sure whether that was true. Strucker was still on the run. Her identity was out for the world to know. Phoebe Reynolds, AKA Molecura, AKA an Avenger. And with her luck, another news clipping would appear with her being known as Captain America’s girlfriend.

Truth be told, Phoebe was in more danger now than ever before.

“Phoebe…” Natasha trailed off with a disapproving sigh.

“Don’t tell Steve,” Phoebe begged.

“Don’t tell me what?” Steve asked, peeking in. He was holding a tray filled with breakfast food, a long-stem rose, and orange juice. “I thought you were still asleep.”

Natasha smiled and took a step back to make room for Steve to set the breakfast tray on the bed.

“Good morning, babe,” Phoebe said. Steve smiled and gave her a quick kiss. “Did you cook for me?”

“I wasn’t born in the stone ages. We had stoves,” Steve joked, chuckling to himself. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“It still is,” Phoebe assured, taking a bite of grape jellied toast. She swallowed and said, “I love it. I… I appreciate the gesture.”

Steve sighed. “I guess our date night is getting off to a rocky start,” he said, nervously trailing his hand behind the nape of his neck.

“Technically it’s only 11. You still have time.”

“What was it that you didn’t want to tell me?”

Phoebe’s eyes fell to Natasha, as if she were calling out to her friend for help. Natasha quickly intervened. “We didn’t want to tell you what color her dress was tonight. We want it to be a surprise. So we’re going to go shopping and Phoebe will be back here and ready in time for your date. Scout’s honor.”

“If you get into kind of trouble, use the pager,” Steve said with his Captain America authoritative tone. “And have fun,” he added softly, leaning forward to capture Phoebe in a kiss.

Phoebe smiled and kissed him back harder, pulling away once air became a priority. “That never gets old,” she muttered with a giggle.

“No,” Steve agreed, breathing heavily and a warm smile on his face. “Go. Have fun and be careful.”

“Yes, daddy,” Phoebe replied darkly. Everyone in the room fell silent, and Phoebe briefly closed her eyes as the embarrassment flooded her face. With her back turned to Steve, she glanced at Natasha, her lips pressed hard together. How does she manage to get herself into these messes? She turned to Steve, whose face had turned three different shades of red in under a minute. “Wait a minute. Why is your face blushing? Did you understand that reference?”

Steve’s face was on fire it was so red. “I did, but not for the reasons you think!”

Phoebe placed a hand on her hip, eyebrows raised. “And what reasons are those?”

“Tony sent me a text and it was a website. He said it was another tip for our date. I didn’t realize it was porn.”

“He sent you porn?!” Phoebe exclaimed. “No wonder you understood my slip up. That’s all Tony watches is daddy kink!”

Natasha and Steve directed their stares to Phoebe, puzzling looks on their faces.

“And how do you know that?” Steve countered with his eyebrow raised.

“He is my best guy friend, after all. I may have accidentally walked in on him once. Burned my eyes forever.” The room erupted into laughter, but not Phoebe. No, she saw firsthand the kind of crap Tony _loved_ , and the idea that he did those things with Pepper on a semi-daily basis… a shiver ran down her spine. “With that, we’re going!”

***  
**_Steve_**

Well, that was eventful.

“Captain Rogers?” JARVIS inquired.

“Yes, JARVIS?” Steve answered as he grabbed Phoebe’s would-be breakfast tray and emptied it in the kitchen garbage disposal.

“Might I suggest an encryption software that Mr. Stark invented for such websites?”

Steve’s eyes bulged. “JARVIS, do you peek?”

“Of course not, sir. Your vitals suggested an increase in arousal and I am programmed to initiate certain protocols.”

Steve frowned. That was way more information that he needed to know.

Still, there was work to be done if the rest of his day was going to go off without a hitch!

The office space Tony gave him was way more the he needed. His laptop was sitting on an L-shaped glass desk, hooked up to two desktop monitors. The Stark logo was in the background, swirling around the screens. Steve sat down, triggered the mouse until his sign in name came up. Once he signed in, he went to Google – thank you, Phoebe – and typed in at the search bar.

 _Salinas Restaurant, New York City_ – _About 2,300,000 (0.73 seconds)_

Steve found the phone number and reached for his phone.

“Hi, my name is Steve Rogers. I stopped in late last night and made reservations for two tonight at 8:30. I wanted to confirm those reservations for this evening.”

“Of course, Captain Rogers!’ A male, Spanish voice said. “It will be an honor to serve you and your guest this evening. We have your table under the roof lighting by the fire place in place. You will have the room to yourself.”

“Oh, well thank you, sir, but that’s not entirely necessary. I know you bring in a lot of business and I’d hate to put you out.”

“No such thing! You deserve your privacy.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you,” Steve said before they parted ways.

***  
**_7:30 PM  
Phoebe_**

“I don’t know about this dress,” Phoebe said, looking at the dress. It was beautiful, with sparkles and gems in a tribal pattern from the shoulders all the way down to her waist. The dress gathered mid-thigh, showing just enough of her freshly spray-tanned skin.

“Relax, would you? You look amazing,” Natasha said. “Sit still unless you want your eyeliner to end up as a lip liner.”

Phoebe was a ball of nerves. At one point, she accidentally blew up her rounded plush chair in her walk-in closet because her energy was so high. She fidgeted gently, not enough to distract Natasha from pushing the liquid gel across her eyelid. Once she was done, Phoebe exhaled sharply. It was getting really warm in her bedroom, and it was likely that she was causing the temperature difference. “What if black is too threatening? It’s our first _real_ date. What if it turns out we only like each other for our looks and we don’t hold a real conversation?”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “How did you two get along when you were assigned to help him adjust to the world?”

“We talked, mostly about the modern world. But we bonded over The Three Stooges and classic TV.”

“See? You already have things in common with him. Just build it from there. Open your mouth a little bit.” Natasha drew a faint line along Phoebe’s lips, then used a thin brush and applied a pinkish nude lipstick with a gloss finish. Then she handed Phoebe a napkin. “Blot.”

Phoebe did as she was told and Natasha puckered her cheeks one last time. “Are you done yet?”

“Alright woman, zeesh!”

Natasha spun her vanity chair around. Phoebe gasped as her eyes processed what they were seeing in the mirror. Her hair, now a subtle dirty blonde with platinum lowlights was pinned up in an elegant bun, leaving her bangs to her side, pinned with an bobby pin underneath. Her cheeks had a golden coral hue, just enough to glimmer under the light when she turned her head. Her spray tan wasn’t bad. It made her porcelain skin a very light bronze, almost as if she used a bronzer over her entire body.

“Holy shit,” pretty much covered it according to Phoebe. “Nat, you did an amazing job!”

“I had a good canvas to start with,” Natasha replied with a wink. “I’m gonna head out before he gets here. Let me know how it goes!” Natasha gave Phoebe an air kiss and snuck out through Phoebe’s window, grappling down. Phoebe peered over the window. There was a quinjet waiting outside for her.

Phoebe felt a jolt of energy in her stomach.

_Nervous. Excited. Yearning. Affection._

Steve was standing in the doorway, and his nerves were just as bad as hers, if not worse. Strangely enough, feeling his emotions is what calmed hers. She opened the door just as Steve went to knock.

***  
**_8:00 PM  
Steve_**

Steve stood frozen in place, analyzing every curve, every glimmer, every gem on her dress until it burned in the back of his mind like an old film under the spotlight. Phoebe seemed just as speechless for words, judging by the way she eyed Steve up and down, a pleasant smile plastered on her face. Steve hoped his attire would be okay, as Tony had a nice suit flown out to New York overnight. It wasn’t his first choice, but when he saw the Armani name etched on his jacket, he had to at least try it on to cross it off his bucket list.

“You look… wow,” Steve breathed.

Phoebe looked down at her dress, then back at Steve, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. They walked into the elevator. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself. Not bad for being recently frozen.”

For once, he smiled at that type of joke. He was usually annoyed by those types of jokes involving him being unconscious, thanks to the many jokes by Tony. But this one was said from the mouth of his girlfriend. _And what a beautiful mouth it is_ , he thought.

“Shall we?” Steve extended a bent arm to her. She nodded and locked her arm in his as they strolled out of the elevator.

“It’s about a 5-minute walk. But we can ride my bike if that’s easier,” Steve said.

“I’m okay with walking. I have comfortable shoes on,” Phoebe said with a smile, squeezing his arm.

Steve smiled back. Tony’s voice about getting a car briefly flickered in his mind before he pushed it out, deciding that the walk would be more romantic. He made sure he was on the outside of the sidewalk the whole way to the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, they were seated by Guillermo, the manger of _Salina’s_. They were taken to the back of the restaurant and lead down a staircase. A light fire place with pillow pads for sitting were placed, along with a candlelight dining set for two under the starlit lighting roof. Steve’s heart pounded against his chest repeatedly until he felt the blood thrumming against his eardrums. He was so nervous to see Phoebe’s reaction. He watched her eyes as she took in the scenery. Seafoam green eyes moved through the room, a sparkle shining under the restaurant’s lighting and accentuating her pearly white smile. She touched the fake vines along the wall, turning to look at the dining table where a single rose was placed in the center of the table. In the background, a quaint little 40s song played.

Steve gathered all the courage he had and took Phoebe’s hand, twirling her around until she faced him, pressing his other hand on her waist with somewhat of a tight grip. Wide eyes searched for his, a puzzled look clear as day on her face.

 _Long long ago, say an hour ago_  
_I recall that I saw your smile_  


“Would you like to dance?” Steve felt the familiar frog in his throat from 1945 jump through his voice box, but the words came out smooth as silk. A smile to himself, and he found Phoebe looking at him through lidded eyes.

“I’d love to,” Phoebe answered softly, extending her hand for Steve to grab.

They made their way to the center of the dance floor. Steve put his hand back on her hips, and they swayed to the beat of the music, which was slow, deliberate and warm.

 _I remember you_  
_You're the one who made my dreams come true_  
 _A few kisses ago_

Steve felt his body disconnect with his brain as the emotion of the evening took over. Phoebe released her grip and spun outward, keeping one hand intertwined with his. She twirled under his touch, igniting a fire beneath his feet. He walked them backwards and forwards in a slow, charismatic dance that ignited his soul and set his world on fire.

 _I remember, too,_  
_A distant bell_  
 _And stars that fell_  
 _Like rain out of the blue_

***  
**_Phoebe_**

Phoebe leaned forward and placed her head on the crook of his neck, closing her eyes. Right now, in this moment, everything was perfect. The music playing in the background gave her goosebumps, and dancing with Steve gave her butterflies. Their feet moved to the rhythm of the song on their own accord, and Phoebe found herself admiring the muscles of Steve’s arms under his suit. She sighed heavily into his embrace.

“Are you alright?” Steve asked quietly, careful not to mess with Phoebe’s makeup as he pulled her face to his.

“I’m great,” she answered just as quietly. Their eyes connected, and Phoebe’s heart sped up as she drank in the ocean eyes. Steve bent down and kissed her gently, pulling away after a moment. “More,” Phoebe ordered softly, biting her lower lip.

“Anything for you, my darling,” Steve moaned, and captured her lips again in a passionate kiss that led to them standing still on the dance floor. Steve traced her bottom lip poking through and dominating her tongue with ease. Phoebe felt the dominance in his kiss, and she immediately felt herself submiss to him. She was jelly in his arms as their passion grew to lust, grabbing at his arms, racking her nails through the suit. Steve pulled back gently, returning to a tender, slow kiss.

 _When my life is through_  
_And the angels ask me to recall_  
 _The thrill of them all_  
 _Then I shall tell them_  
 _I remember you_

“How did I get so lucky?” Steve asked when he pulled away.

Phoebe swallowed hard, catching her breath. Her skin tickled with the adrenaline running through her veins. “I don’t know. But sometimes, I like to think that you were frozen for 70 years for a reason.”

Steve smiled. “You mean, I was frozen so that I could meet you and we’d fall in love and live happily ever after?”

“Well, 2 out of 3 isn’t bad,” Phoebe said with a small giggle as they walked together to their table.

“Who says we can’t live happily ever after?” Steve asked with furrowed brows.

“There are a lot of variables,” Phoebe admitted. “For one, Strucker is still after me. If he finds me-”

“Then I’ll kill him,” Steve answered lowly, and Phoebe merely nodded, words too small to attribute to the darkness of his voice. “I’m always going to protect you, sweetheart. Until my very last breath.”

Phoebe recognized the truth to his words. She reached over the dining table. Steve leaned forward and clasped both hands around hers. “I know you will. I trust you with my life.” Phoebe felt the waterworks blur her sight. She blinked them back, but a few straggly tears fell down her face.

Steve released one hand to gently wipe away her tears. “Then trust me when I say that you will live happily ever after. With me. Because I love you.”

The words. He said the words.

“I love you, too,” Phoebe said, and they were kissing over the table, almost knocking over the water glasses in the process.

It was the craziest journey, finding Captain America in the ice. But it wasn’t finding him that changed her life, she realized. Finding herself in the process did, thanks to the man behind the uniform.

And just like that, Phoebe found herself in complete and total love – not with Captain America – but with Steve Rogers. And Steve found the right partner.

 

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the worlds, and she walks into mine.”

-Casablanca, 1942

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tune for more Phoebe/Steve stories and one-shots as we continue through the MCU!


	7. Post Credit Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sticking with MCU's theme, here is a glimpse into Phoebe and Steve's future in my upcoming fic based on Iron Man 3's storyline! <3

***  
**_(Two weeks later…)  
Phoebe_**

“I told Natasha and now I’m telling you. I am not going into protective custody. I can handle myself.” Phoebe stood in front of Nick Fury’s desk where he was situated with his hand folded over a familiar vanilla envelope.

Phoebe’s SHIELD file.

“You have become a national target since New York. Our Intel says that Karpov fell off the radar completely. From HYDRA, SHIELD, everywhere. We think he’s in hiding, but Strucker is still out there. Until we catch him, we have to protect you. This isn’t a request, Agent,” Fury said, his voice lowering at the last sentence.

Phoebe knew she was losing the battle with her boss, but her freedom was one thing she swore Strucker would never get his hands on again.

“Sir, with all due respect, I think I am more than capable of protecting Agent Reynolds.” Steve finally spoke up after sitting in the background listening to the two bickering for the last half-hour.

“And with all due respect, Captain, you have a personal connection to the target, which makes your argument pretty much useless.” Fury glared through his one eye. Phoebe winced, finding his emotions to be troubling. He was worried and scared. It was nothing like the emotions he was giving off on the outside.

“Alright, I’ll do it. On one condition. Only if Steve moves with me,” Phoebe said after she gave herself a minute to think about it.

Steve’s mouth dropped briefly before he stood up, falling in line with Phoebe to show his support of the idea. Fury challenged the two for several moments, neither of them faltering in their stares. Phoebe felt Fury’s emotions again. He was going to let them move together.

“Thank you, sir,” Phoebe blurted before he gave the OK. She covered her mouth. “Oops,” she mumbled.

Fury sighed, shaking his head. He glanced at Steve. This time his gaze was much more relaxed. Almost comical. “You’re a brave soldier.”

Steve chuckled, looking at Phoebe with warm eyes briefly. “When do we leave?”

“Wheels up in 4 hours. As far as I’m concerned, this is your first official mission, Captain Rogers. Welcome to SHIELD.” Fury held out his hand.

Steve shook it firmly and nodded. “Thank you, sir. It’s the least I can do for Howard, Chester, and Peggy. I’m looking forward to seeing where this next chapter takes me.”

“As of right now it’s taking you to D.C. Pack a bag, soldier.”

Steve looked at Phoebe. “Well, at least we know what it’s like to live together.”

Phoebe smiled. “You know, Peggy lives there. Maybe we can visit her.”

Steve looked at the ground, shuffling his feet as they walked out of Fury’s office. Phoebe wanted so badly to penetrate his thoughts, but she promised that she’d only do that with his permission after a rather eventful night. “Maybe, once we get settled and everything.”

Phoebe frowned, nodding gently. “I understand. There is no rush. I just have this feeling that if you visit her, you could get a fuller picture of what happened with your friends instead of reading the SSR files.”

Steve’s demeanor changed a minute later. “You are so thoughtful, you know that?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they exited the building.

Phoebe giggled. She grabbed her helmet from the back of Steve’s motorcycle, putting it on. “Let’s go for one last ride before we have to say goodbye to New York.”

Steve tapped her helmet playfully and started the bike. Phoebe’s hands wrapped around him, squeezing tight. “Let’s ride, baby.”

~fin~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, it's finished! (: Stay tune for my next installment.


End file.
